A CALLIGRAPHIC ALBUM 'SANXI TANG JI' QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

an official copy based on the original imperial essay in cursive script titled Sanxi Tang ji ('Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities'), comprising 11 leaves following Zhao Mengfu's style of calligraphy, well written in ink on loose-weave golden silk with three mounted seals on paper, signed Qianlong and dated to the third month of the bingyin year, corresponding to 1746, mounted in creamy-white patterned twill frames, all set between hardwood front and back covers

Collection of Major Archibald Willingham Butt (1865-1912) of the United States, acquired in 1902.

Major Archibald Butt was a Rough Rider with Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War and later served under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft as their chief military aide.  From 1900-1904, he served in the Philippines.  He was lost at sea on the Titanic when it sank in 1912. 

The overall condition is quite good with the calligraphy well preserved. There is only some light wear to the silk, especially to the last leaf but the text is almost unaffected. There is some typical foxing and moulding to the twill frames, as well as stains to the front and back endpaper. The binding is in overall good condition, except for some wear to the folding seam of the front endpaper. The front cover comprises two pieces of wood, possibly detached and restuck.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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The 'Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities' Album
Shan Guoqiang

The introduction to the "Hall of Three Rarities" album: semicursive calligraphy on silk, 11 pages. Signature at end: "Written in late spring of 1746." Seals: a red-character, square seal reading Qianlong chenhan ('personally written by Qianlong') and a white-character, square seal reading ji xia lin chi ('written on several occasions of leisure'). Seal at the beginning: a red-character seal in the shape of a gourd reading xin shang ('treasure').

Sanxi Tang ji ('Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities') is an essay written by the emperor Qianlong himself. While Qianlong was on the throne, he on separate occasions acquired three Eastern Jin models of calligraphy: Kuai xue shi qing tie ('Clear Day after Brief Snow'), by the calligraphy master Wang Xizhi (303–361); Zhongqiu tie ('Midautumn'), by his son Wang Xianzhi (344–386); and Boyuan tie ('Letter to Boyuan'), by his nephew Wang Xun (350–410). Viewing these three works of calligraphy as rare treasures, he opened up an elegant room just to house them, the room furthest west of the hall opposite the hall for recuperating from the daily affairs of state. This room he called the Hall of Three Rarities. Here he repaired to, to appreciate the calligraphy after a winter snow or to write. Qianlong specifically wrote the essay 'Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities' to explain the acquisition of these three works and other associations of sanxi. Since xi can also mean 'to revere,' Qianlong saw sanxi as also meaning 'to revere worthies, to revere sages, and to revere Heaven.'  He also wrote 'Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities' on a huge horizontal scroll measuring 23 centimeters in height and 212 centimeters in length and had it hung above the lattice door off to the side. His semicursive calligraphy was flowing and elegant, curvaceous and smooth. The signature reads, 'The imperial hand, the first ten-day period of midspring, 1746,' when Qianlong was 36. The calligraphy style partially follows that of Dong Qichang (1555–1636) and partially follows that of Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), being soft and graceful, yet energetic in spirit.

This ' Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities' album consists of calligraphy on album pages, the writing being the essay 'Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities.' The calligraphy primarily follows the style of Zhao Mengfu, the characters being relatively upright and the strokes appearing somewhat thick. Hence, the style is different from that of the 'Introduction to the Hall of Three Rarities' horizontal tablet, being slightly longer, more elegant, softer, and more delicate. The date, late spring of 1746, indicates the same year, but a month later than the horizontal scroll by Qianlong. Though the dates are close together, the styles are quite separate. Clearly, this album was not written by Qianlong. But the style is similar to the semicursive style of Zhao taught in the imperial school, revered by Qianlong, and later popular in society. The silk used to write on was, for the Qianlong period, rather loosely woven and coarse. Hence, from when I first inspected this album, I judged it to be a copy from the middle or late Qianlong period. Yet this fine piece of excellent quality is worthy of the serious collector's interest.